


Gone

by moodyvalentinestories (moodyvalentine)



Series: Choices September Challenge: 2019 [5]
Category: Hollywood U: Rising Star, Red Carpet Diaries (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Light Angst, Teacher-Student Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-06
Updated: 2019-09-06
Packaged: 2020-10-10 23:04:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 690
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20536097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moodyvalentine/pseuds/moodyvalentinestories
Summary: Thomas Hunt has an important announcement to make: he's finally ready to return to directing.





	Gone

**Author's Note:**

> I guess this one's kind of a between-HWU-and-RCD fic, huh? It's technically almost the same fandom anyway, right?

For the first time since Anna had become his student, Thomas' annual end-of-term dinner party wasn't going terribly wrong. Usually, she'd have tried to get him alone at least ten times already or embarrassed him in front of his other students and colleagues in some creative way. She'd always found a way to ruin the evening. But not tonight.

Maybe she sensed that this time would be different. That this evening was more important to Thomas than any previous one. She seemed to always know when something was up with him. A quality he found incredibly annoying, usually, but tonight it may have been a blessing.

Yet, especially with the night going so well, Thomas couldn't help wondering whether his decision had been the right one. With Anna being so refreshingly sensible, he almost felt bad for what he was about to do.

Of course, she hadn't been the only factor when he'd made the decision. He wasn't going to let a woman -- a girl! -- dictate his life like that. Still, she was... 

Someone he couldn't afford to be around. Yes, the decision he'd made was the only option.

As everyone had finished their meals and started chatting, Thomas got up from his chair, picked up a knife and gently tapped his glass with it. "If I may have your attention, please. I have an announcement to make."

Everyone's eyes were on him as the room quieted down, but he was most aware of Anna's. How would she react? She was always so unpredictable. Would she completely turn around and make a scene after all? Or would she take it in stride and simply accept it? Thomas wasn't sure which of those options he would actually prefer. 

He cleared his throat. "As you all know, I never intended for my position at the university to be permanent." People started whispering. He did his best to ignore it. "And with an old friend offering me an opportunity, I've decided that now is the time for me to return to directing." Purposefully avoiding looking at Anna, he added, "I'll be leaving for New York tomorrow."

Some of his students grinned at each other, one or two even high-fived. He still hadn't looked at Anna -- he refused to -- but he knew her reaction must have been vastly different.

As he sat down, Priya Singh stood up to clarify that she would be the one to take over Thomas' classes and took a dig at him once or twice during her speech. He didn't much care. In fact, he'd started to agree with her on most things: he _was_ going soft. It was another reason he'd decided teaching was no longer for him.

When Priya was done, he glanced at Anna. Or at least he wanted to. But the space where she'd sat was now empty. She was gone.

_You have to find her_, he thought. How ironic. Wasn't she usually the one always looking for him? And wasn't he usually annoyed by it?

Nonetheless, he needed to know how she'd taken his announcement. As much as he hated to admit it, he cared. And he didn't want her to hurt.

So he excused himself and walked out of the dining room. Now, where would she have gone?

She wasn't in the hall. She wasn't in the living room. Or the backyard, or the kitchen, or the bathroom. He'd even checked his bedroom and the basement. But she was gone.

Tonight had been the last time they would see each other before he would be leaving. But she'd left first.

And Thomas realised then that he hadn't wanted the dinner to go smoothly. And he hadn't wanted her to take the news in stride.

He'd wanted her to do what she always did. He'd wanted her to argue with him about his perfectly reasonable decisions and make him doubt himself. He'd wanted her to ask him what he was thinking, why he hadn't told her. But, most importantly, he'd wanted her to ask him to stay.

But she didn't. For once in her life, she'd respected his decision. And Thomas couldn't imagine anything worse.


End file.
